Question 1

Why does the pronoun come before the verb in Ne te fâche pas?

Accepted Answer

In negative commands (telling someone not to do something), the reflexive pronoun stays before the verb, just like in a normal sentence. If you were telling someone to get angry, it would be an affirmative command and the pronoun would move to the end and change form: Fâche-toi.

Question 2

Since this is the tu form, shouldn't fâche have an s at the end?

Accepted Answer

Normally, yes! But for regular -er verbs like se fâcher, you must drop the final s in the tu form of the imperative (command) tense. That is why it is fâche and not fâches.

Question 3

Why is it ce n'est pas instead of c'est ne pas?

Accepted Answer

To make c'est (it is) negative, you put ne and pas around the verb est. Because est starts with a vowel, ne drops its e to become n'. The pronoun ce stays at the beginning, giving you ce n'est pas.

Question 4

Does grave always mean serious?

Accepted Answer

Yes, grave generally means serious or severe. The phrase ce n'est pas grave is an extremely common everyday expression in French used to say it's no big deal, no worries, or it doesn't matter.

Ne te fâche pas, ce n'est pas grave.

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